Which are some of the best C++ IDE’s and why?

When we are using the technological gadgets and our computer systems, we get everything done with just a click or clicks, if it doesn’t we get irritated and exhausted. But does any of us ever wonder how the things are happening with our clicks? Who is doing it all for us? Getting the stuff ready for us and giving us the liberty to do all with ease and efficiency.

Well if you haven’t yet given this a thought, you will surely find this article very exciting. Today in this article, we are going to talk about the IDE’s, what they are, how they work, what are the best features in them, which are the best options for them out there and how you can make use of them to create your stuff. So that if you are willing to create something of your own like the programs running on the system, you can get started.

First of all, you will need to understand that all that is happening on your computer or some other device’s screen is based on programming. Or you can say that the machine is programmed to do so. Someone somewhere taught it to respond to your command in that particular way and that we call the programming. Now if you wish to create some program, you need to know how to program it, but for the current discussion, we are not getting into the details of how to program.

What is the best C++ IDE?

As told shortly before, the IDE is the platform to program. IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. So we can safely comment that the IDE’s are the programs that are designed to program the other programs. These IDE’s are the platforms where the programmers and developers can create stuff and design programs with ease and efficiency. The best C++ IDE consists of the basic tools and features that a programmer needs to create a program, design and develop it and then test it.

A programmer would want to write from a few hundred to several thousand lines of the code based on the complexity of the program he is developing. Therefore the program he is using to create the new program needs to be reliable and capable of handling this big amount of data. The simpler and with more features the IDE would be, the better and easier it would be for the programmer to create the code and work effectively.

When we talk about the best C++ IDE, we are referring to the IDE that is specifically being used for the development of the programs in C++ language. Several languages are in use for the development purposes, and an IDE is often capable of supporting multiple development languages as well. Still, there are some IDE’s that are specific for the C++, and they are named so.

What are the features of the best C++ IDE?

When we talk about the IDE’s, every one of them is unique according to its features and tools that it offers to the developers. With every passing day, the IDE’s are becoming rich in their features, and the ease of use and the graphical user interface of these development programs are becoming more and easier for the developers. However, all the IDE’s are meant to provide some basic facilitation to the developers, and here we have populated a list of all those features for our readers.

So if you have made up your mind to get an IDE for you and get started with programming stuff, you need to make sure that all these basic features are a part of that IDE. The tips are to go for the one that can provide you with maximum features so you can create the best with least effort.

Let’s get started with the list of features for the best C++ IDE.

The insight of the code or code completion

When you are working in a specific Integrated Development Environment, you need everything to be friendly with you. The more the development program will understand you, the better you can create the stuff. The code completion is one of the basic features that an IDE needs to have. Having this feature, the IDE can recognize the code you are typing and this way it can suggest the options and automatically complete the chunks of code for you.

Also when the IDE is familiar with the language you are using for programming, the auto-correction or error highlighting can tell you about the mistakes you are making in the lines of code, this makes the things a lot easier for the developer and gives him an edge in saving time that he would otherwise have to spend in checking the errors and correcting them.

If the IDE has the proper knowledge of the language you are using, it can not only highlight the errors, but it can also point to the solutions that you can have for completing a certain set of code, also it can point out the function definition from the library that might suit the situation you are in. This helps a lot in programming and many times give an Idea for the code generation.

The resource management

When you are developing or programming a certain program, you need several resources from the IDE as well. These resources typically contain the header files that contain the definitions of several functions specific to them. The resources also contain the libraries that have the definition of the function and entities you are using in the code generation. An IDE is required to have the knowledge and space for these resources, and it can easily bring them to focus at the time of use so that the error could be spotted right in time and could be fixed before the program is debugged.

Debugging tools and options

When you create a certain program in the IDE, you need the debugger to test the program for errors and to check all the parameter in the program whether they are working fine or not. The IDE needs to provide you with a debugger that can work effectively, and that can give values and parameters at the certain point so that the testing process could be done well in time before the program gets compiled.

Compiler and builder

Once the code is created and tested by the debugger, it is now ready to get released, and for this purpose, it needs a compiler and builder. When you compile a program, the main thing that is happening at the back end is the breaking down of the code from the higher level language to the object language that can be supported by the builder. This way your program is ready to execute and show you the results you had anticipated from it.

You need to remember that not all language compilers are present in every IDE, so you need to choose the IDE based on the language that it supports. If you are looking for the best C++ IDE, then you can do so by searching for the IDE that has the compiler that supports the c and C++ languages.

What are the significant advantages of using the best C++ IDE?

As you have seen that the integrated development environment is like small heaven for the programmer, where he can bring the dreams to reality and compose and test all that he wants. Therefore the use of the IDE’s is widespread, and some languages are in use with these IDE’s to develop new and amazing Idea’s.

A developer can get the most from the IDE and enjoy the perks of writing and programming in a safe and user-friendly environment. Here we have listed the major advantages that you can avail by making use of the IDE’s.

Less time and less effort required for programming

If you look at the Idea of the IDE development, you will come to know that these integrated environments were developed solely to provide the programmers with the ability to save the maximum of their time and to save their effort as well. The amount of time that would otherwise be required to write long codes could be saved by making use of the functions and libraries.

Enforcing standards became possible

With the integrated development environments becoming popular, it became easier for the companies and the development authorities to create standards for the development of the programs. When a huge number of the programmers work in the same development environment, they are automatically following the same pattern of working, and hence the enforcement of the standards became simple and easier and above all possible.

Project management became easier

The most gruesome task to do after the development of a code is to search for a specific piece of code in it. For this, several times you have to go through the file system that takes a lot of time. The IDE’s have the advantage that they force the programmer to insert comments in the code here and there, so that management of the project file becomes easier. Also this way, the program is not limited to the developer only, rather other people can also understand it and learn from it and know on seeing it at first sight that what every chunk of code is doing.

What are some of the best C++ IDE’s?

Although there are several IDE’s available on the internet that work best for the compilation and programming of the code in C++, however, you need to set your goals for the best one and for this purpose you can take help from the list of basic features of the IDE in the above passages.

Here we have gathered a list of the top 5 IDE’s, and our list is based on the one provided at

Codelite

The fifth IDE that has won the top position in the list is named as codelite. It is a free and open source work environment that offers its services on the cross-platform and is suited best for Java, C++, C, and PHP.

Code Blocks

Standing on the fourth position in our list is the Code Blocks. It is an IDE that is an also free and open source and serves best for the codes from C++. The most amazing thing about this IDE is that it supports multiple compilers so if your code is not acceptable by one, you can try it on in the other compiler and thus some languages can be worked with in this IDE.

Eclipse CDT(C / C++ Development Tooling)

Although it stands third in our list Eclipse is undoubtedly one of the most commonly used IDE for C++ development. It is a free and open source IDE that offers cross-platform working as well. The great GUI and the ease of use are the things that make this IDE the most popular one these days.

Dev-C++

Standing second in the list is the developer C++ IDE. One of the most trusted and widely used interfaces used for programming the C++ based codes. The developer is a fully features yet a free IDE that is authorized and licensed as well, and anyone can use it easily since the GUI is great, and the compiler is simple to interpret. Get Dev C++ from here.

NetBeans IDE 8.1

NetBeans undoubtedly stands first on our list for the best C++ IDE. The NetBeans IDE is developed for JAVA, but it can work efficiently for c and C++ as well. So if you are looking for the best option, this is the time to know that the NetBeans is the best so far.